The Origin of the Dark
by StarLion
Summary: Sequel to The Collective in the Dark and last part of The Dark series. With the Arcology restored and the Collective disbanded, peace descends among the worlds... until an old group becomes active again, putting their plan in place from the shadows...
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:**

Welcome, readers all, to the fourth and final (for sure this time, honest!) part in The Dark series.

As usual with this series, if you have no idea what an Arcology is, or you just totally forgot, real quick like grab the first chapter of Master of the Dark and read the first note I left, because I explain it there and I'm not going to repeat myself.

Also as usual, I don't own Kingdom Hearts. The world of the Necropolis I do, however, and the two other worlds that will show up in this story (Which will also have the -polis in their name) are also my own creations.

Finally, this story will not be following our usual cast within the Arcology. While Sora, his friends and his Arcology do show up, the story is centered mainly around a group of OC's, all but one of which met in this first chapter. The missing one is mentioned here too. Who and what are they, and what are they up to? As the story progresses, it will become clear and also provide explanations for some loose ends left lying around, both in the games and a few from previous stories.

* * *

><p><em>Twilight Town<em>

_Sunset Hill_

The hill was deserted, even by the animal kingdom. Birds had been seen flocking away from it earlier that day, and anyone trying to walk their pets there found them strangely resistant to the idea, eager to get away from the place. The plant life, being rooted to the spot and unable to leave, was just as determined to keep away, seeming to sway away from the top of the hill.

Once all other life had left the area, a single dark corridor opened at the peak. One figure emerged from it, wearing a black coat with the hood raised. It was reminiscent of those worn by the Organization but without any adornments. It would be called severely plain if not for the white skull emblazoned on the back.

In one hand, it held a skateboard with the Heartless emblem etched in red on one end, and the Organization's Nobody sign in white on the other. Just visible underneath the coat were a pair of white skate shoes, each with its own collection of marks that showed the wearer had been in their fair share of near-misses while on the board, if not a few actual accidents.

It banished the corridor behind it with an absent wave of the free hand, then turned it upward. Before him, a multitude of spheres appeared. Ten of them were purest black, and almost as soon as they had appeared the figure dismissed them by tapping on them. Now only six remained. Five of them appeared to display a person and the surroundings, but one showed a place.

The hood turned to each sphere in turn, examining them. As attention turned to each, they enlarged to show the subject better. The people were investigated first.

In the first orb, he saw an ornate office, bedecked in blues, reds and bands of gold separating the two colours. Seated at a desk was the subject, examining a pad as he took a drink. It was the Keyblade Master and Grandmaster of Artefact Arcology, Sora. His orb was dismissed as he turned to the next.

Second was a figure wearing a true Organization XIII coat, deep in conversation with an unknown person. The blond hair framing his face left little doubt that it was the Chilly Academic, Vexen.

The third and fourth spheres were examined together, as the subjects were in the same place, apparently arguing. It appeared that the Cloaked Schemer had foregone his name and returned to his true name of Ienzo. The other figure had put all but his name aside, returning to his own previous persona. Though the Flurry of Dancing Flames had put everything else behind him, Axel was still distinctly recognisable.

The last sphere centred on a person was eating ice cream on the top of a tower. The hood turned upward to Twilight Town's clock tower, seeing the same person in the distance. The Key of Destiny, Roxas, somehow separate from Sora except by the original ties that had created him. One hand reached up into the hood as if scratching at the chin curiously for a moment then this sphere was also dismissed, leaving only the lone sphere that had displayed a place.

It was clearly obvious that The Castle that Never Was lay in ruins. Only a few stray chunks remained intact, hovering over Dark City. Despite the wide perspective showing The World that Never Was in its entirety, it was clearly obvious that neither Nobody or Heartless was there any longer. The entire world was abandoned.

The figure dismissed this sphere too, leaving the space around him devoid of spheres once more. There was an indeterminate 'hmm' as it thought, fingers idly fidgeting with the skateboard, tapping on it without clear pattern or rhythm.

At last the hood was pulled back, revealing slicked back hair in a bleached white, a pierced ear with a thin golden ring hanging from it, and the weather beaten but confident green-eyed face of the young man wearing the coat. There was a thin scar above one eye, heading up diagonally to vanish in the hair. Though his expression was more of a confident smirk, his eyes were hard, harsh and aware, flicking around his surroundings as he took them in.

He spun the board around with the other hand, then let it drop to the ground. As one foot followed it to hold it down, a finger on the free hand flicked toward the coat. The zip rapidly undid itself. While it did so, the black gloves were removed and pocketed, then once the zip was fully undone the coat was discarded entirely. It vanished almost as soon as it no longer held any contact with him.

Underneath the coat, he'd been wearing baggy jeans sporting many small tears and a black studded belt holding it up. Not up enough to fully hide the white boxers peeking into view between the jeans and the black hoodie he wore that had the same skull on the back as the coat had. On the front in gold, there was lettering that read, 'Nil' on the first line, then below, 'Oblivion' and finally underneath that 'The Forceful Fighter'.

"JJ's back," he murmured, running one hand through his hair. "And I'm not here for a vacation."

One hand was flung back behind him as he stepped fully onto the board. A brief pulse of air seemed to shoot from the hand, propelling him forward and down the hill. He flipped over a fence, landing for a moment on the top of a grassy ledge, then continued on.

As he left, the plant life slowly and cautiously started to swing back again, closely followed by a few wary birds. They all perched silently wherever they could, watching the self-identified JJ head down the hill and out of sight. They looked to each other, conversing silently. If their expressions had been readable, they would have been afraid.

Some few of them looked down to the ledge he'd been on momentarily. The grass was dying out, radiating from where he had landed in a kind of unseen wave. The small bushes and shrubs on it shrivelled up and died out as it reached them, until the entire ledge was nothing but dead plants. The effect did not continue any further from there.

On the still living lawn opposite, a small boy extricated him from a bush. He had black hair and wore a red shirt under a silver jacket, but was otherwise identical to the new arrival that had passed by. He was almost like a smaller, younger version.

"JJ's back," he whispered excitedly, looking down into Twilight Town after him. "Boss man's back..."

He ran down into the town, weaving through the various people around until he came to the garage, where he sneaked past everyone to a small stack of wooden crates in one corner. There was just enough of a gap between them for him to squeeze through and out behind them, then down some steep stairs to a hidden underground room.

It looked like it had once been a part of the tunnels, but except for a small waterway bubbling quietly through a trough on the far side through two grills, it had been sealed off from them.

There was a filing cabinet in one corner, and centred in the room was a squat table. Chunks of tree logs were placed around it to serve as rudimentary chairs.

At one of them was sat Fuu. Once Seifer's crony, since his mysterious disappearance some time ago she had struck out on her own. At least, to the town that was what had happened. Down here, she returned to activities she'd been involved in before encountering Seifer.

Fuu glanced up as the young boy hurried in, looking curiously at him.

"JJ's back," he told her breathlessly. "I saw it happen with my own eyes. Up on Sunset Hill."

"Certain?" she asked shortly.

"No doubt at all," he answered.

She considered this for a moment, then said "Alert the old crowd, Little Lee."

Little Lee nodded, dashing out again.

* * *

><p>It was much later. They had gathered at the site Little Lee reported to be the place where JJ had returned.<p>

Rai stood watching over the route leading up to here for anyone who wasn't invited, keeping guard. Fuu meanwhile counted heads, then began to call out names.

"Dualshock Aaron?"

"Right here," he replied absently, rummaging through a box.

"Jack Board?"

"Surf's up!" Jack answered cheerily.

"Triple G?"

"Wotcher, Fuu," a neatly dressed guy replied with a toss of his hair.

"Quarter Tom?"

"Is in the shop," the answer came.

"Big Rue?"

"Right here."

"Speedfreak Sam?"

"That's Speed_er_ Sam."

"King Kyra?"

"Off world in Radiant Garden," Little Lee answered. "Got hold of her, said she'd never make it back in time, so I gotta speak on her behalf."

"Sure you can do it?" Dualshock Aaron asked.

"She's my big sis, I know what she'd say," he shrugged.

"I'd feel better if she were here."

"You would," Big Rue rumbled. "Don't worry about it. Now what are we doing here, Fuu?"

"He's back," she replied shortly. "Right here."

"Sure it was him?"

Fuu pointed to Little Lee.

"Saw it with my own two eyes," he answered. "There's no way I could mistake anyone for the boss man. It was him alright."

"Where is he then?" Quarter Tom inquired.

"Right here," JJ's voice answered. His signature skateboard was held in one hand, giving dull thumps every time he set it down on the ground. He walked into the middle of their circle gathering, examining each of them in turn. "How long has it been here?" he asked.

"Fourteen years, JJ," Little Lee answered. "We been worried about ya."

"No need. There was no trouble. Perhaps bored out of my head, but the world I was in at least allowed me to become lost in the crowd. Have the updates reached you yet?"

"Network hasn't functioned since just after you left," Triple G replied.

"I told you how to fix it, Triple G."

"Yeah, I know. It didn't work."

"Inconvenient. Then allow me to bring you up to date. The Organization is finished. Some few members exist, but the original goal is gone. There is little cohesion between them."

"The World that Never Was?" Fuu asked him.

"Intact. Damaged, but intact. It will remain so for as long as I will it to. Fuu, I presume you already know the Collective is no more?"

"Naturally."

"She had me put word out almost as soon as it happened," Little Lee continued. "Said it was under attack from someone called Naminé."

"Naminé?" JJ mused. "Intriguing. Did she learn of your identity?" he asked.

"Severed," Fuu answered, shaking her head. JJ gave her a curious look.

"She means she severed her connection to the Collective when Naminé attacked so she couldn't be discovered," Little Lee explained.

"How convenient. Obviously, our allies are no more. The time has come for us to take action personally. I understand Sora has restored Artefact Arcology to its accustomed place." Faces turned away to the vast white tower in the distance and the Kingdom Hearts anchored just above it. "Then you are up to date on what I know. Now it is your turn... tell me all that has happened in my absence."


	2. Chapter 2

JJ leaned back on the fence, having heard the various reports and news from each of them. A lot had happened in his absence. He'd been away for longer than he'd intended, but it felt good to be back in the familiar perpetual sunset of Twilight Town. The slight lighter shade it had gained with the appearance of the Kingdom Hearts above Artefact Arcology made it slightly less familiar, but not enough to disturb it for him.

"We can't afford to repeat the mistakes of either of our predecessors," he told them at last. "The Organization lacked loyalty, and the Collective was too focused on Artefact Arcology."

"Goal?" Fuu asked. Her habit of using as few words as possible made it difficult to understand her at times, but at least this one was clear.

"The Kingdom Keys. One of them, at least. We only need one of the two that has the capability to lock or unlock. Of them, Sora's will be the easier to obtain. With them, we can re-open the Pathway, and perhaps even start the Unification project in motion."

"You don't sound very certain," Big Rue pointed out.

"It's too soon to tell if we'll be able to begin the project with only one of the Keys. It may become necessary to retrieve the other two, but we'll have to open the Pathway before I can tell."

"So what's the plan, JJ?" Aaron asked. He had some contraption in one hand that he'd created from the box of parts and the various tools he kept on him, poking out from pockets or strapped to one of the bands over him. It made him look like a walking toolkit, but he generally didn't care what people thought.

JJ took a few moments to think again, then nodded.

"Little Lee will serve as our messenger again, as he has done so well in that capacity before. He'll know where you all are and how to reach him. Try not to call him unless you need to; he should go around each of you in a set order if he doesn't have a message to carry."

"And unless it's an important message, I ain't gonna break that order for any of you," Little Lee added. "What about big sis, boss?"

"Tell her I want her to keep on doing what she does best. Keeping us informed. Aaron... how's your cousin, incidentally?"

"Shanda?" Aaron asked with surprised. "So long as someone keeps a close eye on her and no one lets her near strawberries, she's mostly alright. I have to keep dismantling her creations though. She's still coming up with some incredibly unpleasant things."

"See if you can persuade her to focus on some less lethal ones? You as well, work on useful things that don't kill. I know giving you specifics isn't going to do you any good. But if Tom calls on you for you-know-what, at least try to put things aside for him."

"If you can help it, give me some advance notice then. I'll need time to arrange for someone to watch Shanda."

"You heard him, Tom. You know what your task is."

"Naturally. I'll nose around and see what's worth picking up. Going to need G for funds."

"You always do," Triple G chuckled. "I'm guessing I'm up on PR as usual, JJ?"

"Right. But this time keep it quiet. I want you to use your contacts to get into Artefact Arcology. Find out where all the entrances are and what's between them and Sora's usual haunts. If he has a routine, weasel it out. We also need to know where his Keyblade is when he isn't using it."

"Same old drill as usual. Unless you need her, I'll steal Speedfreak Sam off you to get around."

"Speed_er_," Sam corrected absently out of habit.

"Sure thing. Jack, you stick around here with Rue, Rai and Fuu. If we need high-speed reactions, we'll be calling on you to get Rue on the scene. Fuu, as usual, is the second in command. Any objections people?"

"Sure," Little Lee chirped. "What're you gonna be doing?"

"For now? I'll be around. If not here, then at any of the usual places. Once we're in a position to open the Pathway, I'll always be in my usual place. You know how to find me."

"Naturally. Guess we better get to work then guys."

"And girls," Sam added. "Some of us are girls, Little Lee."

"Yeah, and you too then," Lee added with an airy wave of one hand.

"Get moving," JJ told them firmly. "The Underground has work to do."

There was a chorus of 'yes boss' and variations on it. After a few moments, only Aaron remained. After a few moments of tinkering, he held up what appeared to be a small metal owl made from a patchwork of different pieces and kinds of metals.

"Doesn't fly yet," he told JJ with a hint of pride. "But it will soon. Cam for each eye, a mike in each ear and a microspeaker hidden in the beak. Could be like a little remote drone once I got the wings working."

"If it can take off. Surely it's too heavy to fly made from metal."

"Maybe. Depends on how powerful the wing motors are and how small I can make them. Then it's just a question of whether it blows up before it does the job."

JJ stared at him for a moment, then sighed. "Blows up? Aaron, do you ever make anything that doesn't have something wrong with it?"

"Nothing wrong with it blowing up, at the right time," he said defensively, injured.

"Most people would point out that you can't use it again afterwards."

"Most people would want to choose when it'll blow up too."

"You don't know when... Aaron, why does it blow up?" he asked plaintively.

"Well, it doesn't... unless the power relays overheat, because there's no room for a coolant system, and if they overheat the power source..."

"Explodes?"

He squirmed slightly, then admitted, "Yeah. Sorta. Can't really be helped."

"I'm sure it could if you worked on it a bit more."

"Probably. Shanda definitely would." Aaron's eyes widened. "Oh, gods. Shanda."

"You didn't leave her alone again did you?"

"I didn't think we were going to be long. I should have gone back as soon as we finished, not after tinkering with this."

"Get moving, Aaron. If Shanda gets out with even one of her creations-"

"I know, I know," he replied, impatiently packing everything back into the box. The owl was dropped into it. JJ instinctively jumped back when he did so, knowing better than most that Aaron's devices were either highly unreliable, or had a tendency to unexpectedly fall apart, blow up, or some other happening that would render it unusable.

Most of them were only bodged together in the first place, and their unpredictability made virtually all of them disasters waiting to happen. Every once in a while he came up with something that was genius though, somehow lacking the usual traits that marked his creations.

JJ turned to lean on the fence, looking out over Twilight Town.

A whirring sound made him turn away from this, looking down toward the ledge he'd touched on earlier. Beneath it, Jack was there with a large blue board hovering in the air.

"I thought you got told not to use that around here?" JJ called down to him. "Especially without any protective gear."

"Just slows me down," Jack brushed it aside. "Anyway, it's not like anyone can stop me once I get going."

"Put it away, Jack. You're not going to be much help to us if we're scraping you off the ground."

"C'mon, JJ," he said, exasperated. "Since when have you ever known me not to make the cut? I'm a natural, you said it yourself."

"I know, but that doesn't mean you should just throw yourself into the air on that thing. I hear there's some good surf down at the beach if you're really set on doing some boarding."

"Could, but I don't have the munny to pay for the train there. I could fly there though," he added brightly."

"Why do I get the idea that talking you out of this is impossible?" JJ sighed.

"It's a board, and I'm a boarder. What more do you need?"

"At least be careful."

Jack smirked, hopped onto the board and strapped his feet to it. He was gone in just a few moments, with only the last hints of the whirring fading away with him into the distance.

The Hoverboard was one of Shanda's few creations that didn't exactly kill. Unless someone made a mistake. But Jack was too good to fall off it, especially after Aaron had prudently tweaked it to suit him.

There wasn't any point in checking up on the others too. They'd all be well into planning how to deal with their tasks, if not at work already.

Triple G, or Gary as he was more commonly known, had the biggest task for now. He knew how to deal with people, which hands to grease to get into places others couldn't and how to surreptitiously pick up information he shouldn't be able to. He had munny and contacts in abundance, putting almost nothing beyond him, which was why he was perfect to obtain the information they'd need.

He would be useless for the second part though. Breaking and entering wasn't his forte. That would be the task of Tom and Aaron. While Aaron was a master mechanic first, he was also well known for being able to find back ways through, to and from anywhere. In a place as vast as Artefact Arcology, he'd be able to get around it better than even the residents could.

But as far as outright theft went, his skills weren't even close to scratch. He'd be the one to lead Tom to the destination, and it'd be up to Tom to circumvent the security, bag the prize and get back to Aaron again to be shown the way out. The two had worked together like this many times before.

Tom was also good for getting his hands on the more exotic items they ever needed, such things that even Gary's massive network couldn't lay their hands on. Gary provided the munny, and Tom delivered the goods. He took a bit as his own fee, but refused to dip into the savings he made from that unless he had to.

Then there was Rue. Rue was a lot like himself, but Rue concealed a far gentler personality behind his harsh look. He wasn't above fighting, but he refused any kind of weapon. The way he fought though, he didn't need one.

And last of all, Kyra... she seldom showed her face in person, mostly because the others complained. But she was useful. What Gary couldn't ferret out, she could. No one ever noticed her, or if they did they never assumed anything of her.

Her story was probably the least kind of all of theirs. King Kyra, they called her. After her old brother, King, who'd been taken by Artefact Arcology back when it was still known as the Dark Arcology. King had a natural gift with mechanics like Aaron though according to Kyra, Aaron outstripped him easily. But King also had a natural gift for computers and the software running on them, where Aaron was totally clueless.

King had been their entire means of support with only him, Kyra and Lee there. When the Arcology took King, they had to make other arrangements. By pure chance, Lee had run into him at just the right time, and found a secure place working for him.

Kyra had not fared so luckily though. After their reunion, Lee had described her as an 'urban pack-rat'. She hadn't just taken the name King Kyra from King, but from her new friends. She'd become the king of the streets, directing the homeless, organizing them. New people came in as they hit the streets, and others went out as they managed to get off them again, but Kyra watched over them all.

No one notices a homeless person, she'd learned. With her direction, they'd swiftly picked up all kinds of interesting information. That was how she'd found Lee, and in turn him. He got no special treatment though, he had to pay for what she turned up just like everyone else.

Between them and all the others working with him, they made up the Underground. Behind the Muren Collective and, even if they didn't realise it, Organization XIII. Only Xemnas had ever known anything about the enigmatic JJ. He pre-dated Xemnas, and even Xehanort by some time. He had been a Nobody before anyone else was, though no one outside of him knew this.


	3. Chapter 3

_Sora's Arcology_

_Visitor's Entrance_

Gary strolled casually into the huge triangular hall that made the Visitor's Entrance of the Arcology.

The many benches were packed with those waiting to get approval to enter the Arcology proper, while three desks situated between turnstiles barred that access until the approval came through. Before each of them was a long queue of people waiting to make their application to enter.

He headed right past them all, slotted a card into the machine that operated the turnstile, and continued right on in without needing to go through the whole process, retrieving the card on the other side. It had been a small matter to get in touch with someone that worked in the Arcology's Registry office, obtaining a long-term pass for a small fee.

His apparent eminence earned him some hard looks, but this was standard fare for him. Either people envied him or paid him little attention. Money bought many things, but appeasing the masses... not even a vast fund could achieve that.

No fee could obtain the information he needed from outside either, not without alerting those inside. The plans Aaron and Tom would need were no doubt kept under guard, putting it out of reach for now. Unless the plan he'd come up with went as it should. And there was no reason why it shouldn't. It made perfect sense.

That was, two plans. The second would hopefully get him in to see the youthful Grandmaster, if not also locate the Keyblade itself. But that was the secondary objective for now, and in either case he had a backup plan that would handle it just as easily.

"Eighteenth floor," he told the elevator as he stepped in. The location of the nearest branch of the Records Offices. Ordinarily, he'd have to go through the Registry to obtain what he needed, but his contact had already handled that for him.

In moments the elevator had arrived. With about two hundred floors to the Arcology, it was hardly a surprise that they had been engineered to cater to both short and long distances between floors in as little time as possible, while retaining the safety of their slower counterparts.

Records Offices in the past had frequently covered entire floors, but with the introduction of the digital network inside, all kinds of places had found that they needed much less space by taking advantage of it. Thus the local office was but a small branch, with only a handful of desks behind the reception.

"Can I help you?" the receptionist on duty asked with the kind of false smile that anyone who hates working with people gives.

"I've had some information on order," Gary replied, picking out the paperwork that would get him what he needed. He made some show of checking it over, then handed it to her.

"Are you a member?" she asked suspiciously after only a moment's glance.

"No. But I was told that wouldn't matter."

"I'm afraid this will take some time then," she told him, this time with fake sincerity. "Please, take a seat and be patient."

He knew the delay would happen. It gave him a chance to put his other plan in place. Just as his contact had told him, a computer pad with access to the Arcology's internal networks had conveniently been left nearby. The receptionist didn't appear to notice his use of it.

Though it had been left logged in with member access, his access was still restricted. It would be no easy matter to locate the information he needed even with this. The first order of business would be to find out about the Grandmaster's Keyblade.

A short search led him to the main database, which denied him access to the entries on any Keyblade. The next result was more productive however, taking him to the educational database for the schools inside the Arcology. While it lacked the detail of the main database, it still held relevant information.

The schools still appeared to dedicate time every so often to teaching something about the current Grandmaster, or one of his staff. Thanks to this and the educational database, he was easily able to determine what he needed to know – the Grandmaster's Keyblade was always in his office, except when he was using it. Since he took fewer trips outside of the Arcology lately, this meant their best chance of taking it was to get it directly from the office.

The question now was, how to get there? The information the receptionist should be able to handle half of that. A structure this size would undoubtedly have a maze of ducts, for climate control, cooling and extraction systems and other uses besides. It was hardly something that was suspicious to ask for, not given his cover of duct cleaners. It didn't matter what kind, his cover was that he dealt with all kinds. A small team consisting of himself, Aaron and Tom.

Officially, they were some of the best cleaners ever despite the team's small size. Unofficially, they were also some of the best thieves that had ever existed. No matter what world, what item, they could get it somehow.

He and Aaron would make use of the plans he'd soon get hold of to plan their route through. He'd keep a copy on him just in case, but Aaron probably wouldn't need them. He'd memorize several routes through and numerous back routes to get them out again. Tom was the thief of the outfit, the one who'd actually bag the Keyblade. JJ had provided Tom with a specially made bag that would, he claimed, prevent the Grandmaster from being able to summon it. All they had to do was get Tom to the Grandmaster's office and let him do his cat burglar act.

"I don't suppose you can give me an estimate of how long?" he asked the receptionist, setting the pad down. He wasn't meant to be using it at all being a guest, but who'd know?

"It's hard to say," she replied. "Sometimes the system is a little slow, sometimes these things get sent a little higher up for some additional authorisation. You'll just have to be patient."

Patience. Something he had in abundance. Time would only be important when the time came to get out and afterwards. If the Grandmaster discovered what they were up to before they were ready, it was hard to say how he'd react. His best guess was badly, since they would have stolen his Keyblade. Better to be certain they could do what they wanted than run the risk of asking him only to have him stop them.

* * *

><p><em>Flashback<em>

_Dark Meridian_

_Four years ago_

_JJ stood on the beach of the Dark Meridian where the water played around his shoes, the light of the moon reflected on its surface to end at the same point he stood. He had guided the apprentices of Ansem the Wise carefully through Xehanort, and it would not be long before the first of them finally gave in and found their way here. He had high hopes that Xehanort himself would be that first one._

_Sure enough, a tall man that resembled Xehanort appeared just up be beach from him, wearing a similar coat to JJ's own. Master Xehanort, the previous persona behind the name, had designed his own coat on JJ's after their first encounter just before he had turned the boy Ventus over to the tutelage of Master Eraqus, though the reasons were unknown. JJ didn't mind – it was none of his concern._

_"JJ?" the newcomer asked, approaching. "Where is this place?"_

_"A world within the Realm of Darkness," JJ answered, not turning from his gaze toward the moon. "You were brought here when you gave yourself to the darkness, Ansem."_

_"Ansem... is that still my name? What have I become..."_

_"You know what you have become. I explained it to you in depth before you did this. If you seek to distinguish yourself from who you were, perhaps your past may give you a clue."_

_The newcomer thought for a time, then mused to himself. "I remember something... about a blade in the shape of a cross... perhaps... yes. I shall become known as Xemnas."_

_"Then go forth, Xemnas. Lead the other apprentices of Ansem the Wise to follow your lead."_

_"And do what?"_

_"Chase Kingdom Hearts. Find a way to reach it, and if you cannot reach it, replicate it. You will find a way. But first you will need a new home, a new place to begin your work." JJ held out one hand between himself and the newly named Xemnas. "Follow this corridor," he told him. "It will take you to the World that Never Was. I have created it specifically for you, and it will continue to exist for as long as I will it to."_

_"I presume you will assist me in this?"_

_"No. I have... other affairs to attend to, though I may show up to lend a hand if I grow tiresome with the worlds I visit. Do not mention me to others, Xemnas. I prefer to choose_

_who knows about me. Now go."_

_Xemnas nodded, glanced up to the moon above, then headed into the corridor._

* * *

><p><em>Sora's Arcology<em>

_18th floor Records Office_

"Your information has come in sir," the receptionist told Gary, beckoning for him to come over. "It seems you've been given special dispensation to remove these documents for private use only. Try not to misuse them."

"As if I'd do a thing like that," he chuckled, giving them a cursory glance. "I don't suppose you happen to know if I could get in to see the Grandmaster, by any chance?"

"The Grandmaster is a busy man, with many demands on his time. I hardly think he can fit one insignificant visitor into his schedule," she told him haughtily.

"What schedule?" a young voice said from the doorway. Young, but it appeared used to command. "The last time anyone tried to write me a schedule, the Muren Collective showed up to cause trouble."

The speaker was just a bit taller than him, with spiky brown hair and clear blue eyes. Though his expression suggested he was mildly displeased, his face remained kind and gentle. Gary recognised him immediately – this was undoubtedly Sora, and as his eyes flicked to Sora's wrist he saw the confirmation. His name in ornate Gothic lettering, above a stylized design of Artefact Arcology, and beneath that a symbol identical to the Kingdom Crown he kept on a chain around his neck.

"Grandmaster!" the receptionist faltered. "I uh, I didn't see you there!"

"Yeah, that still happens a lot," Sora admitted. "I can't be bothered to let people know when I'm going to turn up, so I surprise people when I show up like this. Anyway, did I hear someone suggest they wanted to see me?"

"That's me," Gary told him. "It's not exactly anything pressing as such, just one of my various side projects to pass the time between jobs."

"I know that feeling," Sora laughed. "Only I try and find side projects so I don't have to do my real job so much. You wouldn't believe how much people still pass up to me, and neither my Advisors or the Council seem to help filter out much these days."

"The burdens of commands," he replied knowingly. "Ones I don't share in, fortunately. Anyway, I'm doing a bit of research into Keyblades," he told Sora, making this up as he went along. "Specifically the Kingdom Keys, except no one seems to want to let me examine them. All I want is just a few minutes to have a look at one of them, maybe see if I can tell anything about them I didn't already know, but do you think I can get close to one?"

"They don't tend to get out much these days, I'll grant," Sora nodded. "Mickey keeps his one safe in case it's ever needed, and doesn't like anyone knowing he's got it. My brother travels around so much it's almost impossible to track him down, and mine is usually here with me. Why don't you come up to my office with me? You can have a look at mine."

"But Grandmaster, he's just a visitor," the receptionist protested. "Visitors are forbidden on the top floors-" she broke off under a harsh glance from Sora.

"I'm the Grandmaster in these parts, and if I say he can come up to see it, then he can come up to see it. Don't try to tell me I can't take him up there just because he's a visitor."

"O-of course Grandmaster," the receptionist stammered, quailing back in case Sora decided to punish her in some way.

But Sora just shook his head and sighed, beckoning for Gary to follow.


	4. Chapter 4

During the night, the area around the Arcology was bathed in a small light that illuminated the area around it only slightly more than the stars themselves did. It would have made entry difficult to obtain unseen, but the only guards were on the entrances facing the small visitor's camp that had been built up just outside, and these only faced one side of the giant base of the tower.

Sam had dropped off Tom and Aaron at the back of the tower and told them to wait for Gary, who'd let them in. Now the two were shivering in the chill night air, having dressed in light clothes made for soundless movement, not warmth.

From above there came the bad impression of an owl, then a rope ladded whipped down to meet them. It was caught before it clattered against the side of the tower, tugged on to test how secure it was, then Aaron started scrambling up it, closely followed by Tom.

Gary helped them in through the window and into a small, deserted office room. The rope ladder was stashed under a desk, then Gary beckoned for Aaron to examine something he'd left there.

"This is where we've got to reach," he whispered, pointing to a room at the top of the tower. "Can you get us there?"

Aaron traced routes on the sheets of paper, flicking between them as his lips moved soundlessly.

"Four times over," he replied eventually. "All risky, but shouldn't be any problem. Follow me."

* * *

><p><em>Twilight Town<em>

_Sunset Hill_

"They're in," Sam murmured to JJ, who was looking toward the tower in the distance.

"You know where the rendezvous is?" JJ replied just as quietly.

"Both of them. Jack will get Aaron back into town where Fuu will provide an alibi if necessary. Gary will keep his cover inside for tomorrow so he doesn't raise suspicions once the Grandmaster finds out what's happened. Tom will bag the loot, and I'll bring him to you at the Necropolis gates."

"Your bike prepared for travel into the Lanes Between then?"

"Nope, but don't need it. Fuu had the Collective nick an artefact for me that lets us get around as we need – a Star Shard."

"Interesting," JJ nodded, then opened a corridor. "Will meet you at the Necropolis."

"Not that I want to go to the city of the dead," Sam muttered as the corridor closed after him. "But if we're going to open the Pathway..."

* * *

><p><em>Sora's Arcology<em>

_182nd floor_

_South Elevator_

"Really, Aaron," Tom muttered. "I thought you didn't need these things."

"They're not watched," he replied. "I can tell that at a glance. Anyway, I'm not climbing some two hundred odd floors just for some oversized key, no matter how much the boss wants it. Quiet now, we're almost there."

The doors hissed open onto a dimly lit corridor. Faint voices could be heard, and occasionally a shadow flickered over a narrow beam of light where one corridor met another, but otherwise it was deserted.

Aaron strode confidently out into the corridor, pausing every time it met another one to listen as he led them into the maze of this floor.

"What's this floor for?" Gary wondered idly.

"Residential," Aaron replied shortly, now listening at the doors as they passed. "This one," he added, then took out a thin metal bar and swiftly picked the lock. It looked like a small, one-room apartment, either unoccupied or its resident was still out at this hour.

A wall panel was removed, revealing a metal duct behind with an access door that was quickly pried loose.

"Grab the climbers," he muttered behind him. "In the bag, green pocket."

The climbers had been one of his many creations, among the few that didn't have issues with them. Part magnetic, part suction powered and all automated with a series of sensors that would engage or disengage the magnets and suction cups as they detected the distance to the duct wall. The innocent seeming gloves were technological marvels.

Aaron slipped his on, turned on a switch on the lamp strapped to his head, then started his ascent without looking back. Gary took the rear, attaching a smaller device to the wall panel that suckered the access door to it so he could slot them into place as he got in.

"How far, Aaron?" Tom called up.

"To the top," the reply echoed down.

"Hope no one turns this thing on," Gary muttered.

"Disabled," Aaron replied, not bothering with any further explanation.

They continued their climb, slowing occasionally whenever Aaron heard sounds outside the duct they were scaling, in case anyone heard the slight sounds of their ascent.

Eventually he stopped entirely, taking one glove off with his teeth so he wouldn't lose either it or his grip, then listened intently at the new access door he'd stopped at. Below him, Gary and Tom waited nervously.

Satisfied there was no threat on the other side, Aaron pulled a screwdriver out of one pocket and used it to wedge the access door off from inside, taking care to preserve most of the seal until he could replace the screwdriver. With the newly freed up hand, he was able to remove the door the rest of the way and slide it aside with barely any sound at all.

He pulled himself carefully out of the ducts and into the narrow space between the ceiling of the rooms below, and the solid slabs above that formed the floor of the next floor, using a heavy support beam to keep him off the unsafe ceiling itself. One foot onto that and they'd come crashing through into whatever room was below – they did not want that.

Aaron paused often to listen or to look about and place where they were, crossing to a perpendicular support beam, then again to the next one over before he finally stopped and turned on the beam.

"This one," he breathed as Tom caught up. "Someone still there. Have to wait."

Tom quickly passed this on to Gary as they waited. Some faint light shone through the ceiling panels beneath them, but not enough to indicate what was going on.

As they waited, sounds seem to grow slightly louder, becoming more evident. There was someone at work, tapping away on one of the Arcology's computer pads no doubt. Occasional creaks suggested the worker was in a chair that tilted back slightly.

"Sora," a girls voice said gently. "It's late. You ought to come to bed."

"In a moment," Sora replied absently. "I've almost caught up with all this."

"It'll still be there in the morning. Let it be."

"But Kairi-" Sora started, then broke off. "Y'know, I'd have a nightmare on my hands if anyone ever found out there was someone who could bend me to their will, Grandmaster or not."

"Good thing it's only me then, isn't it?" Kairi replied slyly.

Something was set down with a light tap, then a door opened and closed. They waited for a little longer just to be sure, then Aaron leaned down on the bar and plucked one of the ceiling panels out of its place, sliding it silently aside to reveal the empty Grandmaster's office below.

One side of the room remained lined with little-used bookcases, in one of the supporting beams the handle of a sword sticking out. The other held Sora's collection of various paraphernalia and photographs taken of him and his friends. Set on a table amongst them was his Kingdom Key.

"That's it," Gary confirmed, looking in. "Exactly as I saw it earlier. Anything between us and it?"

Aaron shook his head. "Looks like our young friend doesn't like security in the same room as him. Get the winch set up, quick. We don't know how long we've got. Sora could come back any moment."

Gary and Aaron worked to get it attached to the underside of the support beam, while Tom worked himself into a harness and ensured he had the bag JJ had provided them with, made of an odd black material that seemed to absorb nearby light.

He slung himself under the beam monkey style, rapidly hooking himself up to the winch. Once Aaron gave him the go ahead he aimed himself for the hole where the panel had been removed and signalled for down, laying flat in the air once past the ceiling.

Aaron had picked a good entry place, he noted on the way down – almost right beside the table itself. Just in reach enough for him to catch it and pull himself over. He knew he didn't dare touch the Keyblade himself without the bag or it would disappear. It wasn't easy to grab the bag, unfold it and then wrap it around his free hand while he held on, but he managed it, then managed to grab the Keyblade in front of him.

It didn't disappear or even react, and neither did anything else. Quickly he made sure the rest of the bag had covered it, letting go of the table to tie a knot in the strings of the top even as he gave the thumbs up to Aaron and Gary above to bring him up.

The bag was handed over to Aaron while he pulled himself back up onto the beam, detaching himself from the harness. Once the panel had been set back in place and all kit returned to the right place, Tom strapped the bag to his back and followed Gary and Aaron, who'd already started back again.

* * *

><p><em>The Necropolis<em>

Outside the main and only gates of the Necropolis, the usual permanent snowstorm was still busily howling. JJ, a man with endless patience, leaned against one of the immense blue double doors, the coating of snow over his shoulders and the hood of his hoodie a mute indication of his ability to remain as inanimate as a statue.

A flash of light would have momentarily blinded anyone who'd had their eyes open, as the snow would have amplified and reflected the light around blindingly. JJ simply waited until the glare faded, then opened his eyes to peer into the snow, absently brushing the snow off him.

Visibility was minimal, but it seemed there was some movement within the blizzard. JJ frowned slightly, disliking this. He also disliked intervening directly unless he had to, but it seemed unlikely Sam and Tom would find their way to him with this.

He extended one hand outward, palm facing where he judged the source of the light to have been. A pulse whipped through the air, silently blasting the snowflakes ahead of it in a kind of shockwave, leaving a clear route behind it. Fresh flakes started to enter that clear zone, but seemingly reluctantly, as if they did not want to be so brutally shoved aside.

Along one side of the still travelling shockwave, two figure emerged that had been caught in the blast of snow ahead of it. They too brushed it off them, taking advantage of the momentary lull in the wake of the shockwave to hurry on to JJ.

Wordlessly, Tom handed over the black bag. Sam simply held back, holding the artefact JJ assumed was the Star Shard she'd mentioned.

He could feel the Kingdom Key inside, and the repressed light of its respective element, confined within the carefully crafted darkness of the bag. Normally light outshone darkness, but this was material woven from purest darkness into material form, this was too much for ordinary light to handle by itself.

JJ took several steps away from the door, indicating they should follow, then untied the bag. He felt around the outside of the bag until he found the Kingdom Key's handle, then took hold and let the bag fall back to reveal the Key itself.

It was pointed toward the large keyhole, far up the giant doors. The Key shuddered in his hand, but he held firm and it emitted the signature beam of light that unlocked the doors, sending them rumbling ponderously open. The Key was quickly hidden back in the bag, this time kept by JJ.

"It begins," he murmured, leading the way into the Necropolis proper.


	5. Chapter 5

_Radiant Garden_

_Beneath the Outer Gardens_

_Arcology Field Lab 1_

Radiant Garden, though it lacked its previous ruler in Ansem the Wise, had flourished once more into the city it had been before Maleficent showed up, with water features and vast gardens decorating the open areas as if nothing had ever happened. As far as the restoration committee had been concerned the original task of restoring it had been completed, and the tedious task of keeping it running and improving it further now weighed heavily on them.

But beneath the Outer Gardens, there was evidence that suggested there was still more to be uncovered of the original Radiant Garden. A wandering Terra had stopped by to reminisce on old times with his friends Ventus and Aqua, and in the course of recounting the past Terra had found the route underneath the Outer Gardens.

Neither of them had come here, they'd told him, but he had. Some fourteen years ago now, he'd fought against the man then known as Braig, who had been working with Master Xehanort and in extension of their joint plan had faked a kidnapping of that same Master.

But the area still seemed to hold many secrets. Aqua had noted that the large platform appeared to have no point to it at all, and if one looked down to the waterworks far below, there were clearly accesses leading to or from _somewhere_ – the question was where, and for what reason?

Radiant Garden's residents both past and present seemed to have no answer to this, so they'd turned to their own friend – Grandmaster Sora. A field team headed up by his own half-brother had been quick to answer the call.

For a long time, there had been no idea Sora even had a brother, let alone a half-brother. Esan had explained it away as their shared mother not wanting to display what she was to Sora's father. Esan was one of the last remnants of the Angels that had once inhabited the Echo Islands, now claimed by the darkness. This of course meant Sora was half-angel, and the missing half was the reason there was no outward sign of it.

With their aid, a large scaffold had begun to grow downwards from the platform, reaching out to various accesses and tunnels in the walls of the chasm. It was slow work, as building scaffold from the top down was considerably more of a challenge than bottom up, but they persisted.

Now Terra had returned from his wanderings to find out what had been discovered so far. Ordinarily, no one but the restoration committee and Arcology members should have been given access, but Terra, Aqua and Ventus were friends of Sora and had special privileges.

"Did you turn up anything interesting?" Terra asked Esan as he entered the large tent that was usually called mission control. Esan was the only one occupying it, sorting through a tray of fragments, his white wings only just visible furled up behind him. If it hadn't been for their contrast to his grey clothing, they might have been missed. Besides the wings and grey clothing though, he appeared almost identical to Sora.

"It's been quite fascinating actually," Esan replied in his musical voice, glancing up. "We've found evidence that Radiant Garden is actually built on top of a much older and more technologically advanced city. There have even been suggestions that many of the artefacts in my brother's Arcology came in fact, from here."

"And these... fragments?"

"I haven't a clue yet," he replied without much concern. "They only just came up, apparently found like this. If you want interesting though, you should see the map we found."

Esan led him over to one wall of the tent, picking up a rolled up canvas along the way. Hooks had been attached to the top, so he was able to hook it on to a frame with matching hooks as he unrolled it.

The map appeared to be very old, but marked settlements and routes on it in various places with lettering that gave the impression of age just to look at it. Some of the places marked had depictions that seemed familiar though.

"Castle of Dreams," Terra noted, spotting the resemblance. "Land of Departure. This look like..."

"A map of a world where all the worlds as we know them are just places, and not separate worlds."

"I heard a story from Aqua once," Terra mused to himself. "She'd overheard it from someone else. All the worlds were originally one world, but there was fighting over Kingdom Hearts, and the resulting Keyblade War tore the worlds apart."

"I know the tale," Esan nodded. "I read a more detailed version myself. But what's more curious are these places – or indeed worlds – here," he pointed to the right end of the map. "I can translate the place names for you – this first one is the Necropolis."

"I know that one. Sora and I have both been there, that's where we found Aqua."

Esan nodded, "But look here. It seems to have some connection to this next world, the only link it shares with any other world at all. Roxas has been out trying to locate it with another team, but we've had no luck – and then again, there's another world only accessible from that second one, that leads off the edge of the map. We suspect the map is incomplete, as we can see..." he gestured down one side, where it was frayed and torn.

"Damaged... what lay beyond there?" Terra wondered. "What about those two worlds? You said you could translate."

"I can. They are the Ignipolis and the Noctipolis. Just as 'Necropolis' can be further translated to mean 'The City of the Dead' these two can also be similarly translated."

"They're cities too, aren't they?" Terra guessed shrewdly.

"The word 'polis', meaning city, yes. 'Igni' from Ignis, meaning Fire, and 'Nocti' could have come from Nox, therefore Night."

"The City of Fire and the City of Night. Neither sounds appealing, to be honest."

"Perhaps not, but the most curious thing about these words is that they appear on what we suspect are many signposts in the area below."

"Perhaps the city beneath shares some kind of link to them? Maybe... Radiant Garden is what comes after the Noctipolis?"

"We're considering the possibility, since Radiant Garden itself does not appear on this map," Esan conceded. "Of course, that may just be because it was built atop it, whether knowingly or not remains to be seen."

Terra studied the map for a moment, then said, "Do you happen to have a copy of this?"

"Not yet, but I can knock on up in no time. What for?"  
>"I thought I'd drop in on Sora and update him for you. Show him this map and what we've learned while we're at it."<p>

Esan nodded, "Good thinking. I'll have an update to send him soon anyway, if you can stick around for that too."

* * *

><p><em>Sora's Arcology<em>

_Floor 199 – Waiting Room_

Terra lounged on one of the many couches, not really concerned with the wait he was enduring. Sora was in fine voice today, as many parts of the Arcology had been finding out. Somehow, someone had managed to get past all the security in place between the entrance and the door to his office, steal his Keyblade without it returning to him, and prevent him from calling it back. To say the least, he did not take this theft well.

"What do you mean nothing there?" Sora exclaimed, loud enough to make even Terra wince slightly. "How else do you suppose they got in!"

Evidently the thieves had not been a part of the Arcology. Anyone using the power granted by the Kingdom Hearts belonging to the Arcology would be incapable of just appearing, or as they called it 'porting', anywhere in the Arcology without it being logged. A dark corridor was similarly out of the question, as that would have raised the alarms instantly.

That left visitors, but all visitors movements had been accounted for, and in any case the uppermost four floors of the Arcology were off-limits to visitors without being accompanied by one of the many Firsts – the first people between the lower ranks, and the Upper Management.

Technically, and with some controversy still, they owned each of the people that worked for them, almost like a claim of property, though since Sora had come to power a few years back this had become less evident.

"You could try tracking it down!" Sora's voice came again. "Bring me whoever had the audacity to steal from me of all people."

Sora in one of his foul moods was a rare sight, even when just being heard. While hardly short-tempered, he had a tendency to change from his usual good-natured self into a veritable terror when aggravated. That coupled with his somewhat brutal and ruthless handling of an uprising against him usually discouraged crossing him.

One of the Grandmaster's Guards, admitted to be superfluous even by Sora but fiercely loyal to the Grandmaster no matter who he or she was, entered the waiting room.

"The Grandmaster will see you now," she told Terra, then after a pause, "if you're still sure you want to brave the lion's den."

"I'll take my chances," Terra answered. "Maybe I can take his mind off things."

"Should we make arrangements for your funeral afterwards?" the guard asked with a sly grin. They had once been stiffly formal, but in recent times had loosened up a fair bit.

"I think I'll be able to get through alive, thanks."

"Just take a little care in talking to him. He's... waspish."

"Wouldn't you be in his place?"

The guard nodded with a faint smile, then murmured, "Wait here a moment." She pushed open the grand doors to Sora's office, leaving them just slightly ajar as she stepped in.

"What now?" Sora snapped ungraciously.

Unperturbed, she replied, "You have a visitor, Grandmaster. A certain Terra wishes to see you."

"At a time like this? What does he want?"

"I wouldn't know Grandmaster, I didn't ask." she answered coolly.

"Oh... fine. Send him in then."

The door was opened the rest of the way to admit him, then the guard stepped back out and closed the door after her.

Sora was, as he frequently was, seated in the high backed chair behind his desk with a steaming mug of coffee. The desk had once been covered with paperwork, but now a single computer on the desk allowed him to actually see the desk underneath.

"Did I catch you at a bad time?" Terra asked mildly.

"What do you think?" Sora replied irritably, gesturing to where his Keyblade normally rested. "When I get my hands on whoever did this..." he trailed off menacingly.

"Can't say I blame you. Anyway, your brother sent me to give you a bit of an update on his field work."

"More paperwork," he grumped. "Guess I ought to get it out the way. Anything interesting?"

Terra handed him a pad with most of the details, then unrolled Esan's smaller copy of the map.

"Take a look at this. I had Esan translate the place names as he copied it down from the original."

"A map. What's so..." he broke off, then frowned. "No, that looks more like-"

"A map where the worlds are just places?" Terra suggested.

"Yeah that. The Necropolis too... but where's Radiant Garden?"

"Esan thinks it isn't on here because it's built on top of an older city. Here on the right," he pointed to where it cut off. "The original map was damaged and we don't have what's past here, but we think it might be the missing link after the Noctipolis."

"I don't recognise those worlds, and I thought we'd found them all after the last exploratory mission had I had launched."

"Roxas has a team at the Necropolis trying to find the route that leads on to the Ignipolis," Terra supplied. "If nothing else, he'll-"

"Get attacked," Roxas's voice interrupted. "Sora, I think I've found your Keyblade."

"You have?" Sora was on his feet in moments. "Where? Who stole it?"

"I don't know who he is, he kept his face hidden. There were two others with him, but we couldn't get close enough. Sora, whoever it is, he's powerful. He managed to throw my entire team all the way to the front gates just by waving a hand at us."

"And my Keyblade?"

"Is in his hands," Roxas answered. "He had some kind of bag over the handle though, maybe that's why it can't return to you, but I don't know."

"Find out, Roxas," Sora grated. "I want him and I want my Keyblade back."


	6. Chapter 6

_The Ignipolis_

Like the Necropolis, the Ignipolis was a city contained within a massive wall, outside surrounded by a bleak landscape. Unlike the Necropolis with its perpetual snowstorms, the Ignipolis was a barren, scorched wasteland, into which filtered down a slight shower of grey ash.

Sam had reluctantly followed JJ and Tom through the Necropolis, muttering constantly about the various shades that littered the city of the dead, going about their business as if they had not even noticed they were no longer among the living. Many really hadn't, just adjusting to the new setting and continuing on without pause.

One hand still tightly held onto the stolen Star Shard that had been taken from Artefact Arcology during an attack by the now forcibly disbanded Muren Collective. Their agents at the time had been tasked with stealing the Cornerstone of Light, but one had pocketed the Star Shard on Fuu's request, the reasons then unknown.

With the certain knowledge that it was entirely under her control, she hadn't hesitated to take it instead of her bike when it came to traversing the Lanes Between, since the Arcology's agents had lately begun monitoring inter-world travel. It would have been only a matter of time before her slightly modified bike had been discovered, and it had long been standing orders not to be remarkable.

Tom meanwhile remained unconcerned, Sam noted. There was little reason for him to still be with them now Sora's Keyblade was in JJ's possession, but he had a curiosity to find out what the Ignipolis was like on the inside.

In the distance the tall, ash coated yet still visibly green walls continued to rise, only now a pair of doors not unlike those to the Necropolis loomed – also green, though much darker in hue.

JJ continued on, calm as always. He never seemed to let anything get the better of him. Even when Arcology agents had shown up in the Necropolis, he had simply said, "How interesting," then sent them flying with a broad wave of one arm. Once he'd been certain they were no longer a threat, he'd continued as if nothing had happened.

"Tom," JJ murmured unexpectedly when the doors were fully visible. "Be ready to go back to G. Something is different here."

"Different how?" Tom wondered aloud.

"Look to the walls. What do you notice that is not there to be noticed?"

"I dunno, I've never been here before."

"Smoke," Sam supplied. "You'd expect there to be smoke in the city of fire. Right JJ?"

JJ nodded, "Something has been changed. The natural order has been upset."

"But how?"

"We will find out once inside. Do not be afraid of the fires within; they burn only the incautious and unwary."

JJ unlocked the vast doors the same way he had those of the Necropolis, only this time he did not cover the Kingdom Key again.

"Didn't you say Sora could track it if you left it exposed?" Sam reminded him.

"Only in worlds he has been to," JJ replied. "No one has set foot here for a long time. Of that I am certain. I was the last one to stand here before it was sealed."

They passed the vast outer doors to stand inside the tall chamber inside the walls themselves, waiting for the outer doors to close and the inner ones to open. They were left in darkness for a time before the interior of the Ignipolis was revealed.

Buildings were made entirely of a green fire that seemed not to need or require any fuel. Doors and windows were marked in blue fires instead, but remained a part of the single unbroken flame that made up everything. All fires were linked somehow, all just extensions of some original blaze.

The city seemed made up of single floor buildings, all rising up in terraces to a flat central area in the distance. The heat haze hanging over everything made it difficult to see what was on that topmost terrace.

"Why don't they go out?" Sam asked, curiously examining the buildings they passed. She even reached out to a few, finding them warm to the touch, but as solid as any conventionally made house.

"They reflect the state of the True Flame," JJ replied, pronouncing it with a note of reverence. "As long as it burns, the city also burns. Observe." He held out one hand to a nearby building, causing a pulse to shimmer through the air toward one house. The flames flickered, but did not go out. More interestingly though, all the flames around them similarly flickered. "The Flame is affected by the city, just as the city is affected by the Flame."

Tom had watched with interest, but his expression remained concerned. "What's different though?"

"The Ignipolis was and still is a bastion of defence," JJ replied. "Even with this Key granting us entry, there should have been some reaction to our presence by now, whether in sentient form or merely a new extension of the flame. That we remain here unscathed is proof enough something is preventing it from doing so. I know of only two forces that could achieve this."

"And they are?"

"One with mastery over fire, such as the ex-Nobody Axel, or..."

"Or?" Sam prompted.

"Or the interference of another Kingdom Hearts," he finished. "The Arcology has reached this world."

"After we got here, right?" JJ nodded again. "But they can't get in. So nothing to worry about?"

"Not so. One does not need a Key to enter this city – if they bring Axel with them, his affinity for fire will grant them entry without one, just as one of the dead may afford the living a means of entry into the Necropolis."

"But we can still leave for the Noctipolis safely," Tom said. "We can leave before they-"

"This world will not allow us to leave until the interference has ceased," JJ interrupted him. "We must persuade the Arcology's agents to depart before we can move on."

* * *

><p><em>The Necropolis<em>

_Ruined Central Church_

Much of the Necropolis remained as unmapped as it had always been, but like any place there were landmarks, structures that stood out among the bleak gothic buildings that made up much of the Necropolis.

In what, as far as could be told, was the center of the Necropolis lay the remains of a once grand church. The walls still stood, though much of the glass in the windows had fallen out. The roof however had at some point caved in, scattering huge chunks of stone around the inside.

Most of the stone benches had sustained this without a care, though some few had been dislodged by the debris. The altar had somehow contrived to remain pristine, despite being open to the elements.

But none of this was what had so interested the three explorers that had been in the process of mapping the vast city of the dead.

For this venture Aqua and Ventus had borrowed Jamie, a long-time member of Sora's Arcology that was in part responsible for Ven's return to wakefulness, and was well known for his memory and detective skills.

In the course of their exploration, they'd come across the ruined church and paid it little heed until Aqua recognised it as the same church she had finally met Sora for the first time at, and so had declared they were going to investigate it.

That in turn had led them through the narrow back passages and a hidden door leading to a room that looked oddly resemblant of Radiant Garden with pipes lining the walls, even over the floor and around in a heart shape in the center of the room. The area inside that heart showed not what lay behind it, but rather a barren, ashen grey plain.

Jamie had asked them to wait while he headed back to the Arcology to peruse the Database for any details on this. He'd returned shortly after, with no answers and with Roxas and his personal team of agents in tow. They'd immediately identified it as a portal, advised them not to pass through, then left two people to guard it and enforce that while Roxas led his team on a trek through the portal.

Jamie meanwhile had been commandeered to take notes from an agent that had been left in view through the portal.

Now on top of a hill beyond that agent, Ventus spotted another agent. Roxas's team had long since disappeared over the hill. Periodically the hilltop agent would seem to watch intently on the unseen side of the hill, then turn and create a series of varicoloured fireworks in the air.

The other visible agent appeared to understand some meaning to this, as after each display passed he signalled Jamie with a series of hand-gestures, which Jamie in turn noted down in a script Ventus couldn't read.

"What're they saying?" Ven asked him, trying to read the odd symbols over Jamie's shoulder.

"I couldn't tell you, their conversation is in cipher, and I haven't broken it yet," he replied, continuing to note down the latest sequence. "I'll get it eventually, so long as they keep reporting back."

"Why have you note it down?"

"So there's a hard copy of everything they're reporting in case the portal closes and traps them there. I don't think there's any danger of that though. It seems fairly stable."

"Wonder what makes it work?"

"Even if I had an idea, I couldn't tell you. When I made the search on the Database, it raised a few red flags."

"The kind of red flags that come with orders on their own, huh?"

Jamie nodded, "They're rare things, but they're never without reason. For some reason I always end up involved in them whenever they do happen. Not that I'm complaining, it earns me hazard pay," he continued blithely.

"You get paid? I thought you didn't need money in that Arcology."

"Nonsense. Of course we get paid, everything needs money sooner or later. The Arcology used to have its own economy, but now of course it interacts with various other worlds, so changes were needed. It's still more or less recognisable though."

"So how much are you getting out of this?"

"Lets just say only the Council and above are making more than this assignment is me," Jamie answered evasively. "I think I've cracked their cipher too."

Aqua roused herself from her half-doze leaning against one wall, glanced at the notebook, then said, "Anything interesting?"

Jamie glanced up to the two agents, then flicked back a page and glanced through the script so far. They waited patiently while his lips moved soundlessly as he deciphered it.

"Its a previously uncharted world, apparently only accessible through this portal. So far it's ash as far as the eye can see, though the more recent reports suggest there are walls not unlike those for the Necropolis."

"They're signalling again," Ven said, spotting the fireworks starting again.

"Now you've broken their cipher, can you interpret those signals directly?" Aqua asked Jamie.

"Probably not. I've worked with Roxas before, writing down these signals. They use a different cipher between each messenger, so I'd have to crack the one those two are using. Overall, not worth it when it's only a short wait for the translation to reach me. Remember the way back outside, Aqua?"

"Of course, why?"

"That last one just came in without a cipher applied, two messages. One from Roxas to Sora, the other from him to you. He wants you to get to the Arcology now if not sooner, barge your way into Sora, and tell him he's to get out of his office and down here right now with Axel, where I'm to give him the other message. That's his message exactly as it came in, more or less."

"Must be important, for him to try and order Sora around," Ven remarked as Aqua wasted no time in leaving again. "What's his message to Sora?"

"He says he's found the trail of the thieves."

"Thieves? What thieves?"

"I haven't a clue, Ventus," Jamie sighed, writing down another signal. "I've been out of touch while exploring with you two, so we're a bit in the dark on things. Now that's interesting," he added. "They've found some massive gates that are like those at the Necropolis' entrance, except Roxas's Keyblades aren't opening them. The Necropolis will unlock for any Keyblade..." he mused to himself. "But these ones apparently are more selective... I wonder what the criterion are?"

"I wonder what that world is," Ven said absently. "And what they're seeing. They haven't mentioned any threats, or at least you haven't. Maybe I should go see if my Keyblade will unlock it."

"I wouldn't recommend it. If the flags are enough to command me not to talk about it, you can guarantee there's some trouble involved."


	7. Chapter 7

_Sora's Arcology_

_101st Floor – Arcology Central University_

In an attempt to take his mind off the theft of his Keyblade, Sora had decided it was about time he made one of his random visits to some part of the Arcology – which more often than not seemed to be the University lately.

Normally he was only obliged to turn up for University Commencement and the Graduation ceremonies, formalities he put up with as unavoidable necessities of his position. Since discovering that on the three floors the University alone commanded there was bound to be a department studying practically everything, he'd taken an interest in some of the stranger branches of the University.

Kairi, being one of the few people who could calm his wrath, had come with him – just in case she was needed. She'd steadfastly refused to officially become a part of the Arcology, content to remain technically an outsider. Sora's arrangements that allowed her to live with him were enough for now.

"I didn't even know we had a University," she said on the way down.

"Neither did I, until recently," Sora replied. "But some of the Arcology's best discoveries have come out of it. You can't ask what they study, because it's easier to ask what they _don't_ study. There's even a department somewhere devoted entirely to the reading of tea leaves."

"You're pulling my leg. Seriously?"

Sora nodded, "I'm not, but they are. Anyway, there's an enterprising scholar in the department of Applied Alchemy that's reputed to have found the secret to making perfect artificial skin, right down to the point where he can fool the real thing."

"Sounds like the sort of thing the medical department should have discovered," Kari remarked as the elevator stopped at their floor. The University campus on all three floors was different to much of the rest of the Arcology in that it was made to resemble an outdoor park that stretched across the entirety of the floors, unbroken except where the departments had their various buildings.

The grounds seemed almost so immense that it looked as if it should be impossible to see so far. Students littered the grounds, walking about, studying in groups at fountains, benches and other places, completely unaware that in their midst the Grandmaster walked. Sora had never really got the hang of letting people know where he was going to be.

"You'd think it would be their discovery," Sora agreed, picking his way through the lush gardens in this part of the campus. "They certainly insist they should have control over his discovery, but the irascible old scholar absolutely refuses to share the details. He wants funding for it so he can have absolute control over the use and applications of it."

"Doesn't everyone? For that matter, do we know where to find him?"

"Hm? Oh, of course," he replied. "In the Department of Applied Alchemy."

"And where is that?"

"It's that blocky stone structure just over there," he gestured ahead of them. It resembled nothing more than a huge chunk of stone with little grace to it in contrast to the other buildings around. It was shored up with heavy buttresses, and the ground around it showed signs of having the gardens recently emptied.

As they drew closer Kairi noted there were many shards of wood buried in that ground, some as thick as an arm.

"I think I'm going to have to have a word with the Registry again," Sora muttered. "They were meant to remove all the wood when they rebuilt the department. It used to be made from wood, you see," he added to Kairi by way of explanation. "One of my predecessors decided that since the Alchemists are renowned for their experiments producing explosions, it would make sense to build it out of cheap, light materials."

"Isn't there a flaw in that argument? If it's just going to get blown up all the time..."

"Yeah, I saw that too. So I commissioned what you see here with all the reinforcements so it doesn't need constant repairs. It doesn't look very nice, but at least it will withstand them." He stopped and laughed, "The workers on one of the lumber yards upstairs weren't too happy about it, since they were a reliable source of work, but there's still plenty of demand for quality lumber."

"Is there anything your Arcology _doesn't_ provide somewhere?"

"Probably not," Sora chuckled. "Look long enough and someone somewhere here will have at least tried it."

"Interior reinforcement too," Kairi noted once inside. "I guess that's because of-" she broke off as a thunderous detonation came from further up the corridor. Through the clouds of smoke a man emerged waving the smoke aside, unconcerned that his clothes were in smoking tatters. "I thought so," Kairi finished.

Sora moved ahead to the battered Alchemist, then at the top of his lungs bellowed, "Where's Atash?"

"Atash?" he replied vaguely with a blank look, shook him self then answered, "Upstairs. Last on the right."

"Thank you!" Sora shouted, then with an absent wave of his hand cleared the smoke so they could carry on.

"Why were you yelling at him?" Kairi asked curiously.

"Alchemists are always deaf as a post after they've blown themselves up," Sora shrugged. "Technically they're meant to wear protective clothing or at least earmuffs, but none of them bother with it. You just heard the result. People will be yelling at him for a few days until his ears recover." There was another bang from down a side corridor which Sora ignored entirely, except to add, "Them too."

"Shouldn't you try to stop them? What if they hurt themselves?"

"Believe me, it's been tried. I talked with the department head when I had this place built. Even he's tried to do something about it, but they'll just carry on regardless. Anyway, astonishing as it sounds, the College of Comparative Theology has a higher fatality rate than this place. One of only a handful of departments that do, and most of them its only by accident anyway."

"I'm almost amazed the University is still standing, hearing that."

Sora chuckled again, but said nothing until he knocked on the last door.

"Atash? Are you in?"

"Go away!" a voice snapped back. "You can't have it!"

"Don't be tiresome. You were the one who asked for someone to come give you funding."

There was a pause, then in a much more conciliatory tone the voice said, "Oh. Well don't just stand there, come in, come in."

Atash turned out to be one of those people who's hair turns white far younger than normal, and not just white but only around his head to give him the impression of someone much older than his true age. His room here wasn't large, nor was it tidy with tools and experiments scattered all around, small bubbling vats lines up on shelves connected to a bewildering array of tubes and devices. Atash himself was stood over a longer tank, the only one laid horizontally, which he appeared to have covered hastily with what had once been a towel, but had ended up being an oil-spotted rag. A few holes that it sported showed the lightning blue liquid bubbling within, and one a patch of something that looked almost like human skin.

"So, mister Atash," Sora started. "Why don't you impress me with your discovery, and I'll see what we can get."

"Oh, no!" Atash snapped, turning harsh again. "No, you'll just steal my creation for yourself!"

Sora sighed, rolling his eyes. "Of course. How stupid of me. Lets start again, shall we? You're the scholar Atash, and I of course as everyone knows am the Grandmaster of the Arcology. Now, you want funding to work on your creation and not let the other departments snap it up for themselves, and I've decided to take a personal interest to see what its about myself."

"Grandmaster?" Atash croaked, eyes suddenly going very wide.

"Yes, you know, the one who runs all this," Sora gestured vaguely, conveniently waving his arms in a way that Atash couldn't fail to notice the giveaway markings on his wrist.

"Oh," he managed after a long moment, trembling wildly. Sora managed to ignore it entirely, waiting patiently for the scholar to continue.

There was another knock at the door. Atash tried to say something, but he seemed to have lost his voice, so Sora called back, "Come."

"Forgive the intrusion, Grandmaster," the dark clothed individual told him, the clothing itself identifying them as this floor's on-duty Overseer. "There's priority message for you from Advisor Roxas, brought to us by Aqua. She says he wants you to take First Axel and go to the Necropolis with her so she can guide you to the Advisor."

"Priority, you say?"

"Yes sir," he confirmed. "She said she suspected it had to do with your stolen Keyblade."

"Why is it whenever I take an interest in something, I get called away," Sora wondered to no one in particular. "I'll call again another time, mister Atash," he told the still stunned scholar. "Or I can arrange for someone else to call by, if you'd prefer." Then to the Overseer, "Ask Aqua to meet me at the gates of the Necropolis, would you? I'll be along shortly."

"Very good sir," the overseer replied, letting himself out again, closely followed by Sora and Kairi as he decided not to terrorise the poor man any further.

"I'm coming with you, Sora," Kairi told him. It wasn't a request or a question, it was a statement.

"That's nice of you to say Kairi, but it could be dangerous out there. I don't want anything to happen to you."

"We're not going to argue about this, are we Sora?" she asked flatly.

"No, I suppose not," he sighed regretfully. "Just don't blame me if anything happens, will you?"

"Nothing's going to happen. Now why don't you summon Axel – or have you forgotten that already?"

"Of course not, I just want to wait until we get outside first," he replied. Once he'd gone a ways from what was meant to be the gardens of the Department of Applied Alchemy, he brushed his fingers over his markings, jerking back instinctively when they sparked slightly. In moments Axel appeared nearby, muttering under his breath about the same thing, but breaking off as he joined them.

"Since when do you summon people, Sora?" he asked somewhat peevishly. "I thought you chased them up yourself."

"Something's come up," he replied shortly. "Roxas sent me a message to drag you over to the Necropolis without much in the way of explanation. Kairi's decided to come with us, and you're not going to argue with her. I've already tried that myself," he added sourly.

"Stop being such a sourpuss about it," Kairi chided.

"You'll want to pick up something warmer to wear, Kairi," Axel suggested. "The Necropolis is a cold place."

Kairi glanced at Sora, who took hold of both their hands, in an eyeblink taking them up to his quarters at the top of the Arcology. Kairi immediately headed off to the rooms he'd set aside for her.

"At this rate you might as well make it formal, you know," Axel said. "She's been living with you for long enough."

"She's decided to do things at her own pace, and you know what she's like. Determined as anything. It's why our argument about her coming along didn't last very long."

"She's got you wrapped around her finger, Sora," Axel chuckled. "Just hope the Arcology in general doesn't find out about it, or we'll all be bowing to her instead of you!"


End file.
